Gundam SEED: Knights of Summer
by Mystwalker
Summary: Peace brings out the vulnerabilities in all of us. After a twenty year peace, will the world be ready for another war? Kira x Lacus, Athrun x Cagalli, Yzak x Shiho
1. Phase 01: Child of Light

**Gundam SEED: Knights of Summer**

 **By:**

 **Mystwalker**

 **A/N:** Resurrecting an old idea I had way back when I was a teenager, after watching Gundam 00 got me back into the fandom. For the twelve of you that still check the Gundam SEED fanfiction archives, enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam SEED.

* * *

 **Phase 01: Child of Light**

* * *

 _Year 83 of the Cosmic Era_

 _Bioengineering Facility, Februarius Eleven_

"We are reporting live from the Februarius Genetic Research Center, where the first child from Dr. Marthus's fertility research project is expected to be born. The child, born to PLANT Supreme Council Chairwoman Lacus Clyne and her husband, Special Forces Commander Kira Yamato of the ZAFT military, is the second successful artificial womb infant in recorded history. The success of this project brings hope to many third-generation Coordinators across the PLANTs and is one of multiple proposed solutions to the observed fertility decline in Coordinators of later generations. The project, coupled with the genetic correction technology developed for children who would be born to second-generation Coordinators, spells hope for the ensuring future of the PLANT nation and the people who inhabit it."

"The parents are joined today by Commander Yamato's sister, Orb Union Representative Cagalli Yula Athha, her husband and consort, Admiral Athrun Zala, and their child, Prince of Orb Keiran Zala Athha. When asked for comment earlier today, Representative Athha said…"

Kira pulled away from the window before the press could catch a glimpse of him, turning his back towards the reporter and letting the curtain fall. On one of the screens in the room, the woman's report continued, showing pictures of Athrun and Cagalli's arrival earlier that day.

"Look, Dad, we're on the TV!"

Keiran, a boy of three, jumped up from his seat on the couch to point excitedly at the screen. Athrun smiled, patting him on the head and ruffling his blond hair. "Yes, Kei," he said. "We are."

"Why does Mama always have to stop and answer their questions?" asked Keiran, his green eyes wide as he watched the screen.

"Well, your mother's a very important person, Kei," said Athrun. "A lot of people in the world want to hear what she has to say."

Kei thought about this for a minute, staring at the screen as a pre-recorded video of Cagalli filled it. He rocked back on his heels, looking up. "Aunt Lacus is really important too, isn't she?" he asked.

"Yes," said Athrun. "Your aunt is a very important person."

"Well, what about you and Uncle Kira?" asked Kei, frowning. "You're not important?"

Athrun chuckled. "We're important in our own way," he said, leaning down to Kei's level.

"Can I go play with my cousin now?" asked Kei.

"In a minute," said Athrun, smiling. "In the meantime, why don't you go play with your toys? We'll call you when you can come to meet her."

"Okay," said Kei, running back to the padded chairs that lined the room. Kira watched as he started rummaging through the bag Cagalli had brought with her, looking for the toy he wanted. A brightly-colored mobile suit action figure appeared in his hands, tracing a path through the air as he moved it in a figure eight. Kira watched him, and despite everything, couldn't help but smile.

"Nervous?" Athrun asked, turning towards him.

"A little," Kira admitted.

"You'll do fine," said Athrun. "You've already had a lot of practice." He smiled, watching Kira watch Kei. "How's Lacus doing, by the way?"

"She's happy," said Kira, looking back at his friend. "A little disappointed, I think. This wasn't how either of us wanted things to turn out. But…after last time…"

He looked away, not wanting to think about that on a day like today. The past couple of miscarriages had been bad, but it had been that one, when he had almost lost her, that had led them to this point in the first place. He'd had his reservations—they all had—but Lacus had her heart set on a child, and if Kira was being honest with himself, so did he, just not at the cost of losing her. He took a deep breath, looking up as the door hissed open, admitting a technician in sterile white scrubs.

"You should go in now, Commander," the tech said, walking up to him. "They're about to open the chamber."

Kira's heart jumped in his chest.

"Thank you," he managed to say, nodding to the tech before starting forward.

Athrun stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, giving it a supportive squeeze. "Good luck," he said.

Kira nodded, not looking back at his friend. "Thanks," he said, stepping forward.

The tech led him into a sterile room, filled almost entirely by the chamber at its center. The chamber was made of metal, making it impossible to look inside, but the various instruments that led off it beeped and whirred, keeping the conditions inside the womb as close to natural as possible. According to the doctor that had supervised the project, that was the problem with third-generation Coordinators. Their genes were so far removed from normal that it was difficult for their bodies to maintain a 'natural' environment.

It wasn't all third-generation Coordinators—Athrun had been prove that—but even Kei had had to undergo the same correction therapy that the children of second-generation Coordinators were now going through, to repair some of the decay in his genetic structure. It wasn't a cure, it wasn't close, but it bought them a few more generations.

He came to stand beside Lacus, who was the chamber with a solemn look in her eyes. Beside her, Cagalli touched her shoulder in support, patting Kira on the arm and exchanging a glance before turning to leave the room. Kira took her hand. It was cold.

All around them, the techs sprang into action. Kira didn't speak, his eyes on the chamber as machines whirred to life.

"Draining fluids," one of the techs said, pressing a few buttons on a glowing console.

Pumps began working, pulling fluids away from the interior of the chamber. An instrument chimed an alert, quickly silenced by one of the technicians. A seal popped on the artificial womb, followed by another. In the distance, the doctor's statement could be heard on the news, proclaiming the beginning of a new age for Coordinators. Hydraulics hissed as things within the chamber shifted, pieces gently drifting apart. He gripped Lacus's hand tighter.

"Fluid extraction at 40%...60%...70%. Beginning final extraction."

"Roger. Final extraction started."

The technicians and nurses moved with the efficiency of bridge operators. There was a hiss of steam as the chamber in front of the split apart.

That was the first time Kira saw his daughter.

She lay cradled at the bottom of the artificial chamber, on a cushion. Her chest was still as the last of the fluids drained away, her form cradled in silence. His breath caught in his throat, and he felt Lacus's fingers tighten around his own for the first time.

She was perfect.

The last of the fluids drained away, the cord that bound her to the machine detaching itself. Her chest rose and fall as she took her first breath.

Then she opened her mouth and began to cry, and Kira felt a weight lift off of his chest.

One of the nurses reached into the chamber, picking her up with careful hands and wrapping her in a cloth. She was smiling as she approached Lacus, holding out the baby. Lacus took her, cradling her in her arms, and Kira saw some of the weight that had been sitting on his wife's shoulders for the past few years finally fade away, saw her eyes light up as she looked down at the child. Lacus reached out, brushing a strand of pale pink hair from their daughter's forehead and smiled, humming soothingly and rocking as the baby wailed.

"Hush now," she said. "You're here, you're safe, and your father and I are very happy to meet you."

The child stopped crying, looking up at her with bright blue eyes. As Kira watched them, he realized he had never seen a more beautiful sight.

"There," said Lacus, her voice soft. "That's a good girl."

She took one of the baby's hands in hers, gently tucking it back into the swaddling clothes. "My little girl," she said.

"My precious Mitsuko…"

* * *

 _Year 98 of the Cosmic Era_

 _ZAFT Military Academy, Martius One_

"Hah!" the girl yelled, springing back out of the simulation chair. She tugged the visor off of her face, raising a fist into the air as she stared at the screen. "First place. Take that, Renner Joule!"

" _First place, first place,"_ repeated the white Haro that jumped around next to her, bouncing between the simulation chair and the boy.

"Congratulations," said the boy standing next to her, his eyes on the screen as well. His hair was a pale silver, his eyes a deep violet. "You managed to nearly overheat your mobile suit and escape the enemy forces by a margin of 0.01%."

"Well, sacrifices had to be made," said the girl, smiling. She tucked a strand of pale pink hair behind her ear.

"You nearly flew into the sun."

"You're just jealous because you're afraid I'm going to place higher than you on the final exam in three weeks," said Mitsuko, grinning.

" _Jealous,"_ said the Haro in its mechanical voice. _"Renner is jealous!"_

"I'm not worried if my only competition is someone who will fly into the sun," said Renner, arms folded as he studied the results screen.

"Oh, come on," said Mitsuko. "It was only a little bit into the sun."

"I don't know why you guys are fighting," said another boy from where he stood leaning against the simulator's console. His hair was long and dark, his skin slightly tanned more from genetics than from the sun. He was dressed like Renner was in the light green uniform of the ZAFT Academy. Mitsuko wore the same uniform, in orange. "I mean, it's pretty obvious that you two are going to get the best two pilot postings out there."

"Personal pride," said Mitsuko, shoving the visor at Renner's chest. He took it, shooting her a slightly annoyed look as she flashed him a smile. "I can't leave this Academy with Renner having the simulation high score."

"I wasn't fighting," said Renner, ignoring her as he faced the other boy. "If we both place well, we'll probably end up on the same ship. I don't want to trust my life to a girl who files into the sun."

"You're both hopeless," said the boy, raising his hands up in the air as he started to walk away. "Here's hoping I don't get an assignment with either one of you."

"Oh come on, Val, you know you love me," said Mitsuko.

The boy, Valien Altare, flashed Mitsuko a smile. "Love is a strong word," he said. "Sorry, Micchi, you're just not my type."

"You're awful," said Mitsuko, tossing a pen at the back of his head. "Go back to chasing skirts, but don't come crying to me if you get in trouble for it."

"Me? Cry? I wouldn't dream of it," said Val, giving her a smirk.

"What's going on?" asked another voice, making them look up. A brown haired boy walked over towards them, his eyes a bright green. He placed a hand on Valien's head, pushing it down almost automatically. "Is Val being an idiot again?"

"When is he not?" asked Renner, shrugging.

"Ouch," said Valien, straightening up. "And here I was about to start siding with you, Ren."

"I'm not sure that's what you want," said the brown-haired boy.

"Honestly," said Renner, "Me neither."

"Did something happen, Jas?" asked Mitsuko, frowning.

The brown-haired boy, Jasper Ellis, shook his head, removing his hand from Valien's. "Just came in to say goodbye. My shuttle's leaving in a few hours. I'll see you guys after the spring holiday."

"Yeah, see you," said Mitsuko.

"Don't get too bored back in Junius," said Renner.

"Don't worry," said Jasper, smiling. "I won't. See you guys when we get back. Don't study too hard."

He turned, leaving the room. Mitsuko and Renner watched him go, the doors closing behind him. Valien rubbed at his neck, shooting the door an injured glance.

"Don't study too hard, he says, when we all know he'll be spending the vacation buried in books," said Valien.

"He wants to place high," said Renner. "Can you blame him? He's a first-generation Coordinator, after all."

Mitsuko frowned, her eyes on the door. Jasper's parents were Naturals, Earthborn citizens lured away from their comfortable surface lives by the promise of space. It was making Jasper a Coordinator that gave them the right to live in the PLANTs in the first place. She supposed her mom might have something to say about what that said about Earth-PLANT relations, or even her sister.

"I should get going too," said Renner, drawing her back to reality. "My father's sending someone to come pick me up."

"Shuttle's too good for the newly-made Councilman's son?" asked Mitsuko, smiling.

"You're one to talk," said Renner, glancing down at her. Mitsuko only smiled wider.

"Oh, right," said Valien, looking up at her. "Are you doing anything fun over the break, Micchi?"

"Ah, just boring stuff," said Mitsuko, waving a hand dismissively. "I'm actually heading down to Orb tomorrow morning."

"You're heading to Earth?" asked Renner, his eyes widening slightly. "That's not exactly boring."

"Yeah, but it's not like it's for fun or anything," said Mitsuko, shrugging. "My cousin's going to some boring leadership conference in Scandinavia. His parents aren't super thrilled about him going alone, so, guess what, I get to go too. Honestly, I'd rather be up here with you guys."

"Only you can hang out with the heir to one of the world sphere's most powerful nations for a week and call it boring," said Renner.

Mitsuko rolled her eyes. "When you spend every summer since you could walk with 'the heir to one of the world sphere's most powerful nations', it's not that special anymore," she said. "Anyway, you know politics isn't my thing. I'm just babysitting, making sure my aunt and uncle know their precious lion cub isn't getting out of hand."

" _Boring, boring_ ," Haro chirped.

"Isn't he three years older than you?" asked Renner.

"Yeah, but I'm the more responsible one."

"I'm scared for your family."

"Anyway, Scandinavia huh?" asked Valien, smiling. "That sounds like a lot of fun. Bring me a souvenir."

"Will do," said Mitsuko, grinning.

* * *

It was an hour long shuttle from Martius One to Aprillius One and a quick car ride to Chairwoman Clyne's residence and then Mitsuko was home, backpack on her shoulders as she strolled through perfectly manicured lawns to the veritable mansion that lay ahead of her. White jumped over her shoulders as she stepped through the doors, bouncing over to the parade of Haros that moved through the halls and becoming indistinguishable in them. Mitsuko smiled as she watched them go, knowing that White would be back in her room by nightfall. With each passing installment, the Haros seemed to be getting even more sophisticated AI.

She moved past them, heading for her room. Her mother would be at a council meeting until much later tonight and her brother wouldn't be out of school for another couple of hours. If she was going to be heading down to Orb in the morning, she wanted her rest. Re-entry always took a lot out of her.

Although, she thought as she moved through the empty house, if she had been born in the PLANTs, then wasn't it just _entry_?

She walked down a hallway and up a flight of stairs, and was just reaching the door to her room when it became clear to her that she wasn't home alone.

Mitsuko came to a stop. The door to her father's study was open. She peered in carefully, and there he was, seated at his desk and tapping away at a thin tablet in front of him. He was still dressed in his white ZAFT uniform, his jacket unbuttoned.

"Dad?" she asked uncertainly.

Kira jumped up as if she had startled him, quickly closing whatever window he was looking at. "Mitsuko," he said, looking back at her. "When did you get home?"

"Just now," said Mitsuko, stepping into the office. "When did you get back? I thought the _Steadfast_ wasn't docking until later this week."

"We finished our rounds early," said Kira, smiling. She didn't miss the way he held the tablet behind his back, slipping it under a mound of papers on his desk. A thought occurred to her, and her eyes lit up. "How was training?"

"Good," she said, taking a step forward. "Say, that thing you were looking at…that wouldn't happen to be our _assignments,_ would it?"

Kira tensed, and she knew she had him. "Why would you think that?" he asked. "Assignments aren't announced till after the examinations are graded."

"Oh, I don't know," said Mitsuko, smiling. "Just a feeling."

Kira shrank back against his desk. She grinned.

"So, what is it?" she asked. "Come on, you can tell me. I won't tell anyone. I'll even pretend to be surprised."

"Mitsuko," said Kira. "You know I can't do that."

"Is it the _Heisenberg_?" she asked. "Or that old rust-bucket, the _Feymann_? You're not sending me to Earth, are you?"

"Mitsuko…" Kira's tone was tired, like that of a parent that had had this argument too many times to count.

"Please?" asked Mitsuko, her eyes shining. "Come on, I won't tell anyone."

"I can't tell you," said Kira.

"Come on," said Mitsuko, stepping forward again. " _Please_."

Kira sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Fine," he said. "But you didn't hear this from me."

Mitsuko nodded, watching him eagerly.

"The _Steadfast,_ " said Kira, meeting her eyes.

Mitsuko's face fell.

"What?" she asked, thinking she might have misheard. Blood pounded in her ears, drowning out the world.

"You're getting assigned to the _Steadfast_ ," said Kira, his voice sounding like it was coming from farther away. "Starting this summer."

"Did you do this?" asked Mitsuko, her lips moving of their own accord.

Kira blinked at her. "Mitsuko…" he began.

Surprise fell away, an old, familiar anger taking its place. Arguments came back to her, angry words and raised voices, the fight she had to put up to be allowed to enroll in the Academy in the first place.

"You did, didn't you?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as she stepped forward. "Did you put me on the _Steadfast_ so you could keep an eye on me?"

"I didn't—," Kira began.

"Yes, you did!" said Mitsuko, raising her voice. "We've had this conversation before! I know you don't want me in the military, but that's no excuse to ruin my life!"

"Mitsuko." Kira's tone was sharp, a warning.

"I'm the best damn pilot in my class!" said Mitsuko, gesturing at herself with her hand. "I was starting to think you were _proud_ of me!"

"If you would just _listen_ —," Kira began, his eyes narrowing as he stepped forward.

"I've heard it all before," said Mitsuko, turning around. "I'm sorry. I'm tired of hearing it, and I still have three weeks before I have to call you Commander."

She turned around, knowing full well how much trouble she would be in later as she ran from the room.

* * *

 **A/N:** So there you go! Regarding the kids and their friendships, I tried to make it a little different from Gundam SEED. So Yzak's child's best friend is not Dearka's child, Mitsuko isn't a Lacus clone, not every important character is related to a SEED character…etc. Let me know if you want to see more!


	2. Phase 02: Beneath the Open Sky

**Gundam SEED: Knights of Summer**

 **By:**

 **Mystwalker**

 **A/N:** So, did anyone happen to spot the Game of Thrones reference in the title? Also, apologies for the weird names. I like to be a little sensible in naming characters, but I also like trying to match the style of the source series. And since this _is_ a Gundam series, well…

Mitsuko's personality may be slightly influenced by having the song Caffeine from the RWBY soundtrack being played way too loud while writing this. I regret nothing.

This chapter turned out kind of long. Consider it making up for how short last chapter was. I don't know if I can promise this length for every chapter, but I'm going to try to show about as much stuff as an episode might show in a 'Phase', maybe a little less.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam SEED.

* * *

 **Phase 02: Beneath the Open Sky**

* * *

 _April 2, 98 CE_

 _Neutral Space_

Space floated outside of her shuttle's window, a vast emptiness populated by a few scattered pinpricks of stars. Mitsuko sat alone in a private compartment on the shuttle, absently fiddling with the thin plastic tablet in her hand. She tapped at the screen with a stylus, scrolling through her social media feed, but her heart wasn't really into it. Her mind was still going back to her conversation with her father, to the awkward family dinner that followed and her hurried departure to get to the shuttle.

The fact of the matter was, Kira Yamato had never approved of her going into the military.

Mitsuko worried her lower lip with her teeth, absentmindedly liking a picture Jasper had posted up of a pair of farm dogs. The caption _"Look who's excited to see me! I'm going to miss these guys after graduation."_ went almost unnoticed.

She understood his concerns, or at least, she assumed she did. He'd been in two of the Bloody Valentine Wars, and although he didn't talk about those days much, she knew they weren't pleasant. She couldn't blame him for having a few nightmares, nor could she blame him for worrying about her. But, the fact of the matter was, she wasn't weak. She was a fantastic pilot, and she had top marks in almost all her other classes. She wasn't the sort of person he had to worry about.

There hadn't been a real war in over twenty years anyway.

She let out a sigh, slumping down in her seat and tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear. It was tied back in a half-ponytail today, hanging mostly loose down past her shoulders. It would be warm in Orb, so she had dressed appropriately, in a pair of shorts and ruffled white top. She had packed warmer clothes for her trip to Scandinavia, where it was still early spring.

Across from her, White perked up at the movement, the lights in its eyes blinking as it hovered in the air.

" _Sad_ ," it said. _"Very sad."_

"I'm not sad, White," said Mitsuko, looking over her screen at the Haro. The picture she had stopped on—one of Valien spread out on a blanket in the Academy's main hall with a come hither look in his eye and the caption _"Spring break, and alone as always. Ladies?"_ —looked back at her. "I'm just…" She exhaled. "…frustrated."

She had started to think that her father understood, that he wasn't happy with it, but that he had come to terms with the fact that this was what she wanted to do. She didn't have the same political aptitude that her mother did, she couldn't sing, she didn't have much of a public presence. She didn't have enough technical know-how to be an engineer. But she could _fly_ and she was good at it. She thought he had accepted that, and then he had to go pull something like this.

She scrolled past the picture of Valien, replying with a half-hearted _"Idiot, take this down before the disciplinary board sees it.",_ and thought about what it would mean to get posted on the _Steadfast._ It was ZAFT's flagship and to anyone else it might have been the dream assignment, but to her it was the death knell of her career. Everyone would know why she was there, would know that she was essentially being babysat. Her own piloting skills wouldn't matter. All they'd see of her would be the girl whose father had pulled strings because she wanted to play at being a soldier. Did her father know that? Would he even let her be a pilot, or would she be confined to the bridge?

Studying coordinates and ship functions and communications all day while other people got to do the exciting stuff. She thought it would drive her insane.

She rolled her eyes, clicking past a video of dancing cats—why _was_ she still friends with that girl?—and stopped at an article someone posted about a new type of engine that could halve the travel time to Mars. She glanced at the name and picture next to the article. A blue haired girl, identified only as Mae Z A. Mitsuko's stylus hovered over the article.

Her handheld buzzed as a message came in. She paused, hesitating for a moment, before tapping on the message icon.

It was a link to a news article on recent unrest in Eurasia. The tablet chimed as another message appeared below it. Renner's profile picture was him staring at something off-screen in the lower right, a pose she had dubbed the official profile picture of every 'intense' teenage boy ever.

" _Saw this today."_ the message read. _"Aren't you heading over there somewhere?"_

Mitsuko felt a smile tug at her lips in spite of herself, and tapped out a reply.

" _Worried?"_ she asked. _"That's cute, Ren."_

The '…' that indicated him typing stayed at the lower left of her screen for what felt like an inordinate amount of time before the message actually came through.

" _It would be boring if I placed first in the exams without any competition."_

" _Well, you don't have to worry about that,"_ Mitsuko replied, bringing the tablet closer to her face. _"I'm going to Scandinavia, not Eurasia. Earth's a big place, spacey."_

The '…' appeared just long enough to get her hopes up, disappeared, and appeared again. Mitsuko stared at the screen, feeling an odd mixture of impatience and irritation as she waited for Renner to get his act together.

" _You're on the shuttle now?"_ was what he finally said.

 _Nice change of subject, Ren…_ she thought, glancing out the window even as she typed out her response. _"Yeah. Should be in Orb in a couple of hours."_

" _Must be nice."_

" _Jealous?"_ she asked. _"You'll be sick of this view before you know it."_

The elusive '…' appeared, disappeared again. Mitsuko waited for a few moments before her impatience got the better of her and she typed out a message. _"You home?"_

This time, Renner replied almost instantly. Unfortunately, the message was also short. _"Yeah."_

" _How is it?"_ she asked.

A pause, and then two messages in a row. _"Quiet. It's just me."_

She smiled in sympathy, thinking back to last night. _"Council's in session, dude. My mom didn't get home until like midnight."_

The '…'s appeared again, this time staying on until the message itself. _"Mom thinks we should just move to Aprillius, at this rate."_

" _Your mom's still on duty?"_ asked Mitsuko.

" _Yeah, till the end of the week."_

Mitsuko smiled, typing out her next message faster. _"Your mom's awesome. She got to keep the kid and the kickass military career."_

She could practically hear Renner's wry humor in his response. _"There's a reason I'm an only child, you know."_

" _Trust me,"_ Mitsuko said. _"You're not missing anything."_

" _I know. I've heard you complain enough."_

" _If you think I complain, you should hear my sis—."_

The door to her compartment hissed open, stopping her before she could finish typing out the message. A smiling woman in a flight attendant's outfit peered into the room. "We'll be beginning atmospheric entry soon, Miss," she said. "Please shut off all communication devices."

" _Shut off,"_ White echoed, still hovering in the air. _"Shut off."_

Mitsuko frowned down at her pad, feeling a twinge of disappointment. She sighed, deleting what she had typed out.

" _I have to go,"_ she said instead. _"We're about to start entry."_

"…" again. The symbols hovered there for a while, before vanishing. She imagined Renner deleting whatever it was he'd been about to say.

" _K."_

She typed out _"Talk to you later?"_ then deleted it, hating how clingy it sounded. Mitsuko exhaled, shutting off the news feed. The tablet's plastic screen rolled up, becoming a narrow metal device only slightly wider than a pen. She placed the stylus into the slot for it, tucking the whole thing back into her purse. Mitsuko settled back into her chair, tugging sullenly at her straps as she secured them for entry.

" _Renner?"_ White chirped from across her. _"Miss Renner?"_

Mitsuko narrowed her eyes, not sure if the Haro was teasing her or not.

"Don't give me that," she said.

* * *

 _Joule Residence, Martius Three_

Renner lowered his handheld to his side as Mitsuko went offline, staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom. All around him, the house was quiet. It was a silence he had grown up with, but it felt oppressive now. His eyes passed over the familiar large room, landing on the scale model of the _Eternal_ he'd assembled as a child, on the poster for a band he wasn't interested in anymore. He'd been gone long enough that his room didn't really feel like his room now.

He exhaled, then held his handheld up over his head again, reading through his conversation with Mitsuko. Renner frowned, not liking how disinterested he sounded. He closed the tab, idly looking over his friends list.

Jasper was offline. The benefit for having ordinary farmers for parents, he supposed, was that he could actually _see_ them. Valien was online, and Renner's thumb hovered over his friend's image for a moment before he lowered the handheld back to the bed, sitting up. He could find something better to do than commiserate with Valien about how alone they were.

He wondered if she thought it was weird that he had sent her a message out of the blue.

Renner shook his head, putting the thought from his mind and deactivating his handheld. He got to his feet as the device folded back into itself, running a hand through his hair. His eyes moved to the wall panel by the window, taking note of the weather schedule. No rain scheduled for today. It would be a good day for a walk.

He left the house, stepping out into the artificial sunshine.

Martius Three's temperature was kept at a balmy 22 degrees C, the perfect representation of a temperate spring. For the majority of PLANT colonies, the seasons were an affectation, and a mild, comfortable one at that. It was really only a handful of the agricultural regions of Junius City where the seasons were a requirement and then only for the benefit of the plants that grew there. He thought about Mitsuko down in Earth, where the weather could change at the drop of a hat, where unpredictability was the norm and couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous.

What would it be like, he wondered, so many people underneath the same sky, breathing the same air, being able to drive for miles without ever reaching a boundary or a wall? What was it like to see the ocean? His own experience with Earth was limited to two weeks doing atmospheric flight training in Australia, and he didn't remember much of that experience except that the outback was boring and hot and there were a surprising number of things that wanted to kill him.

All things considered, he thought he would rather live in the PLANTs. But it was an interesting thought.

He stopped at a vending machine and picked up a soda, then started the circuit of his old haunts. The tech shop in the colony's shopping district—no, the parts he had requested the last time he was on leave still hadn't come in—the bookstore, the hobby shop that sold a variety of scale modes. He had almost bought an assembly kit for one of the historical mobile suits before remembering that he would hardly have the time to assemble it in the next few months. He was just about to walk into the music store when someone came to a stop in front of him.

"Renner?" the boy asked, making him look up. "Renner Joule?"

Renner frowned, studying the newcomer. Dark hair, gray eyes, a face that nagged at his memory. From his primary school, he thought, the son of some scientist or another. His mind supplied the name just as his mouth opened, saving him from embarrassment.

"It's…Xue, right?" he asked. "Xue Ivanov?"

A hint of a smile appeared on the other boy's face. "I'm surprised you remember me," he said.

"It hasn't been that long," said Renner, even though it felt like a lifetime ago.

He'd gone to primary school on Aprillius, some sort of private school that had probably cost an arm and a leg. It worked out both ways for his father—he got to have an education surrounded by the children of quality and his parents didn't need to worry about how seldom they were home. He studied Xue, trying to remember what else he knew about the other boy, before he remembered that they were standing in the middle of a walkway on a crowded day and people were shooting them looks.

"Do you want to grab something to eat?" he asked, gesturing at the food court.

* * *

 _Orb Spaceport, Onogoro Island_

Mitsuko ran across the tarmac as soon as the shuttle's doors opened, rushing towards the couple that stood underneath an awning to meet her.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" she yelled, leaping into an embrace. Her grandparents spread their arms wide to catch her and her grandfather laughed, her grandmother tightening her grip.

"You look more grown-up every time I see you," said Caridad Yamato, smiling at her as the three of them disentangled from the hug. "How are you? How are your siblings?"

"Azami's off at her fancy school learning politics and talking about art, and Sieg's as annoying as ever," said Mitsuko, grinning. "So nothing really changed there. _I'm_ doing fine. I'm about to graduate top of my class."

"That's great to hear," said her grandmother. "We're so proud of you."

"How's your father doing, Mitsuko?" asked her grandfather, a hand on her shoulder.

Her smile faltered, thinking back to her conversation with Kira yesterday afternoon. "Fine," she said, looking away and hoping her grandparents didn't notice. "Busy as always. He and Mom are all over the place these days."

Her grandfather chuckled. "We know. We keep tabs on the news," he said. "Kira still looks uncomfortable in front of the press."

"He never really was much of a public speaker," Mitsuko agreed. There was a reason why Yzak had been the one promoted to National Defense Chair while her father got to keep piloting ships. Councilman Joule might be a famous hothead, but he could manage to give a press conference without looking like he thought the cameras were about to eat him.

She found herself smiling at the thought and quickly chased it off because she was supposed to be _angry_ at her father.

"Where's Kei?" she asked, changing the subject. "Wasn't he supposed to come down here too?"

"Kei's in a few meetings and won't be free until later today," said her grandmother. "You can come stay at our house until then if you want, or you can go ahead to the palace. Your aunt and uncle won't be there though. Cagalli's in meetings all day, and Athrun's overseeing something at the docks."

She thought about it. Heading to the palace by herself to be fussed over by servants while she waited for someone to get back sounded like the most boring thing she could possibly do. On the other hand, if she stayed with her grandparents, sooner or later her argument with her father was going to come up, and she didn't want to drag them into that. She frowned, about to make a decision when White rolled up beside her, bumping into her ankle. She glanced down at the Haro and a thought occurred to her, a smile coming onto her face.

"Actually," she said. "Is Mae busy? It would be cool to see what she's working on these days."

* * *

 _Shopping Center Food Court, Martius Three_

"I heard you went into the Academy," Xue said, as they took a seat at a table over burgers and fries. "We were talking about that a little while ago."

Renner picked up a fry, half-heartedly dipping it in ketchup and taking a bite. "Was anyone actually surprised?" he asked.

Xue gave him another half-smile, unwrapping his own burger. "No, not really," he said. "We all sort of expected you'd follow in your parents' footsteps. Graduation is soon, isn't it?"

He nodded, even though that wasn't something he particularly wanted to think about. "Final examinations are in a few weeks."

"Nervous?" Xue asked, taking a bite.

"Not particularly." It was the truth. He put on a show for Mitsuko because he knew she enjoyed it, but he wasn't particularly concerned with whether he was first or second place.

"Are you in the pilot program?" Xue asked.

"Of course," he said, with the hint of a smile. "Could you really see me being crew?"

"I could see you driving yourself insane," said Xue, squirting a glob of ketchup onto his tray.

Renner unwrapped his own burger, taking a bite. "What about you?" he asked. "What brings you to Martius Three?"

"I'm working with technology," said Xue.

"The tech college?"

"You could say that." There it was, that little half-smile again. Renner got the disconcerting feeling that he was being made fun of. It wasn't a feeling that he liked. He felt an undercurrent of irritation run through him but suppressed it, taking another bite. "So, the next time I see you, you'll be a redcoat, huh?" Xue asked before he could finish.

Renner swallowed. "That's the plan," he said.

"Do you know where you'll be assigned yet?"

He shook his head. "Not until after the exams. Wherever there's space, I guess."

"You think you'll be shipbound?" asked Xue.

Renner shrugged. "I'm a pilot, aren't I?" he said. "I wouldn't really be that much use on a base."

"True," said Xue, taking a sip of his drink. "I guess there are more opportunities for pilots in space. At least you'll have pirates to fight."

"We do more than fight pirates," said Renner, frowning. "We police ZAFT space."

"Sorry," said Xue, raising a hand. That half-smile was back again. "I didn't mean to offend."

With almost perfect timing, the watch on his wrist started to beep, the screen flashing blue. Xue glanced down at it, tapping a button to make it stop. "I have to go," he said, picking up his food. "I have to meet someone at the college. It was nice seeing you."

"Yeah," said Renner, though he wasn't sure how much he meant it. "Nice catching up."

"Congratulations, by the way," said Xue, as he turned away.

Renner blinked, confused. "On what?" he asked.

"Your father's promotion." Xue smiled. "It was on the news. You must be proud."

"Oh, that. Thanks."

Xue turned, walking away, and Renner stared down at his tray, feeling more unsettled than he had before.

* * *

 _Morgenroete Incorporated, Onogoro Island_

"I'm so glad you stopped by," said Maemi, hugging her. "I didn't think I was going to get to see you until dinner."

" _Maemi!"_ White chirped, bouncing around them. _"It's Maemi!"_

"Ah, well, you know," said Mitsuko, pulling back from the hug and giving her cousin and embarrassed smile. "Thought I'd drop in, see what you were up to."

Maemi frowned at her, a knowing look in her brown eyes. She was dressed in a dark-colored blouse and skirt, a lab coat hanging off her shoulders. Her deep blue hair was longer than it had been the last time she had seen it, falling down to the small of her back. A Morgenroete ID card was clipped to her lab coat's collar, proclaiming her an apprentice technician.

Those eyes made Mitsuko feel slightly uncomfortable. It was always a safe bet that Maemi Zala Athha knew more about a situation than she let on. But instead of asking Mitsuko about it, her eyes moved to Caridad and Haruma Yamato, standing behind her.

"Is it okay if I take Mitsuko on a tour, Aunt Cari?" she asked. "I haven't seen her since I started working here."

"Of course," said Caridad, smiling. "You girls have fun."

"We'll see you at dinner, Mitsuko," said her grandfather, smiling at her.

Mitsuko smiled back, letting Maemi lead her away. They passed through a set of doors that Maemi opened with a swipe of her ID, the doors hissing closed behind them.

"I owe you one," said Mitsuko, falling into step beside her cousin.

"Tell me all about it later," said Maemi, leading her around a corridor.

All around them, Morgenroete was a hive of activity, engineers and technicians moving back and forth. Maemi kept them moving at a fast enough pace that she couldn't stop to stare, which she realized might have been intentional. They were family, but Mitsuko was still about to become ZAFT Military, and the Treaty of Junius still held that Orb couldn't share military technology with any other nation.

Which was a shame, because there were probably enough advancements buried here to make ZAFT's engineers foam at the mouth.

"Is it always this busy?" she asked, following Maemi through another set of doors. She snatched White out of the air, tucking the Haro back into her purse before any of the passing engineers could accuse her of making a recording.

"We have a test run scheduled for later today," Maemi said. "We've been working on the prototypes for a while, so everyone's a little on edge about it. Let me show you what I've been working on first though, I think you'll like it."

"What is it?" asked Mitsuko.

Maemi's secret smile was answer enough. She followed her cousin into a garage and along a narrow catwalk, fighting back the urge to bug her with questions. The girl came to a stop somewhere near the center of the walk, flicking a switch and turning on the lights. Mitsuko's breath caught in her throat.

It was a mobile suit, standing inactive in the huge hangar. The catwalk was level with its torso, and even though it was still gray, she could catch hints of blue-black paint on its surface. She caught sight of the words **ORB-03** engraved on the mobile suit's head. The engraving looked fresh. Wires and cords hung from it, hooked up to various instruments around the garage, and it seemed to be missing some of the armor on its left leg.

"Is that a Gundam?" Mitsuko asked, her eyes wide.

"It will be," said Maemi, "If we can ever get the Phase Shift armor to work."

"Variable phase shift?" asked Mitsuko, leaning in for a closer look.

"Not quite," said Maemi. "But close."

"Is it black?" asked Mitsuko, squinting at the paint.

"For a reason."

She leaned forward, dragging her fingers across the nearest metal plating. The outside felt slippery to her, an oily sheen that didn't quite cling to her fingers. Mitsuko frowned. "Mirage Colloid and all its derivations are outlawed under the Treaty of Junius."

"It's not Mirage Colloid," said Maemi, standing next to her.

"But—."

"It might be close."

Maemi rested her arms on the railing, and Mitsuko noticed that her cousin was practically glowing with pride. "That part was my idea," she said. "Whether or not it works depends on whether or not I can program it right."

"Should you be showing this to me?" asked Mitsuko. "I'm going to be ZAFT military, you know."

"It's not going to be mass-produced," said Maemi, shrugging. "It's an ORB model, which means it's built for one specific person. Besides, it's _highly_ unlikely that the PLANTs and Orb are going to go to war in this generation."

"Well, you never know," said Mitsuko, returning Maemi's smile. "I mean, have you _seen_ my dad argue with your mom? Scary." Something in Maemi's words came back to her, and she studied the Gundam again. A mobile suit made for one specific person…

"So this is going to be Kei's personal mobile suit?" she asked.

"That's the plan," said Maemi.

Mitsuko exhaled, staring up at it. "Lucky," she said. "Kei gets all the best toys."

"That's assuming we can get it to work," said Maemi, turning her back to the machine and leaning against the railing. "Chief Simmons is optimistic, but I don't know. I've learned a lot since starting work here, but there's still a lot I don't understand."

Mitsuko's expression softened, watching her cousin. "I'm sure you can get it working," she said. "If anyone can, you can."

"Thanks, Mitsu," said Maemi, smiling. "That means a lot."

"Does it have a name yet?" asked Mitsuko, looking back at the unfinished Gundam.

"It has the name I've started calling it, but I don't think it's going to stick," said Maemi.

"Why not?"

"It's a little too dark for an Orb Prince. But it's going to be ORB-03."

"Is this what you're testing later?" asked Mitsuko, still staring at it. She couldn't bring herself to look away. Gundams were still the top of the line in mobile suit technology. What it would be like to _pilot_ this thing someday.

"No, this is nowhere near being operational," said Maemi.

Mitsuko glanced at her. "So…" she began.

"Come on," said Maemi, taking her hand and smiling. "I'll show you."

* * *

 _Atlantic Federation Panama Base_

"Eurasia?" asked the girl, frowning at her companion. She was dressed in the pink uniform of a lower-ranked OMNI member, her long brown hair tied back in a low ponytail. The boy she was speaking to wore the corresponding blue uniform, wiping the sweat off his forehead with one hand as he took a long drink of water with the other. His hair was a light blond, his eyes light gray.

"Yeah," he said. "We're getting shipped out later today. Apparently, they're bringing us in to help out with the situation around the Mediterranean."

"What, they can't deal with a few rebels on their own?" asked the girl, leaning against the wall.

The boy shrugged in response, his eyes moving over the crew assembled around the massive ship. The new vessel would be the pride of the Earth Alliance Navy and Space Forces, if all went well. "I guess they just wanted to take _Seraph_ out for a test run," he said. "The new units too."

"I guess," the girl said, her smile growing uncertain as she watched the men and women around her start loading up the ship. "Man, you have all the luck for getting assigned a post on that thing."

The boy smiled, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye as he took another sip of water. "Tell me I'm lucky when I get back," he said.

"Don't even joke about that," said the girl, frowning. She leaned back against the wall, folding her arms as she continued to watch the ship. "Take care of yourself, Ral."

The boy, Raleigh Wolf, nodded, still watching the ship. He tilted his water bottle back, finishing off the last of the water.

"You too, Lee," he said, not looking back at her.

* * *

 _Morgenroete Incorporated, Onogoro Island_

The planes stood gleaming in the sunlight, two of them, painted blue and white. They were sleek and aerodynamically designed, the emblem of the Orb Union emblazoned on their sides. Maemi drew up beside her on the runway, shielding her eyes with her hand as she looked up at them.

"The Seiryu model," she said. "It's still experimental for now, but if it moves past the testing phase, we'll start producing it for our troops."

Mitsuko let out a low whistle. She didn't have too much experience with machines built for atmospheric flight, but she could appreciate good engineering when she saw it. "You're testing this today?" she asked.

Maemi glanced at her watch. "Now, I think, assuming—." She looked up. "—ah, there he is."

Mitsuko looked as well. A blond man was walking towards them, dressed in the uniform of Orb's military. The patch on his chest gave him the rank of Lieutenant Commander. She turned towards him as he drew up to them, resting her hand on her hip.

"They promoted you?" she asked, teasingly. "What were they thinking?"

Keiran Zala Athha, Prince of Orb, glanced at her, returning her smile with one of his own. "They let you loose on Earth?" he asked. "What were they thinking?"

"Technically, I'm not loose," said Mitsuko. "Maemi keeps me very tightly controlled." She stepped back, studying her cousin, her eyes moving between Kei and Maemi. "So…"

Kei nodded. "I'm the test pilot. Well, one of them, anyway," he amended, with a glance at Maemi. "Is Finn here yet?"

"Couldn't make it," said Maemi, already tapping away at the handheld that had unfolded in her hand. "We were just going to do a solo test today. Unless…" Her eyes passed over Mitsuko, a knowing gleam in them.

Mitsuko's eyes lit up, understanding. "Unless?" she prompted, leaning closer to her cousin excitedly.

"Unless you wanted to make things a little more interesting," said Maemi.

* * *

"All systems look green on my end," said Maemi, speaking from the bottom right corner of Mitsuko's screen. She was standing inside the building in a control room, White perched over her shoulder. The Haro's ear-like appendages flapped, its lights flashing as it looked down at the screen. "Pilots, how do things look on yours?"

"Looks good," said Kei from the bottom left corner, a frown of concentration on his face as he fiddled with the controls. He was dressed in an orange and white pilot suit, the plastic seal on his helmet down. There wouldn't be any danger of an air leak in atmosphere but when flying untested planes, shrapnel or a crash was an unfortunate possibility. "Engine's heating up nicely. Thrusters are approaching peak efficiency."

"02?" asked Maemi.

"Looks good on my end," said Mitsuko, checking the screens. Her fingers flew over the controls, pulling up various windows and checking the settings. She frowned, catching something out of the corner of her eye and pulling it up. "Is this unit equipped with a guiding program?"

"The original test pilot for the Seiryu-02 was a Natural, for comparison purposes," said Maemi. "Feel free to disable the guidance program if you want. We'll do that comparison test on another day."

"Roger, disabling program," said Mitsuko, keying in the code that would transfer complete control of the plane's functions over to her. AI guidance programs might help Naturals approximate a Coordinator's performance, but to her they always felt like she was piloting with training wheels. Or training wings, in this case. "All systems green," she said.

"Understood," said Maemi, typing something on the keyboard in front of her. "01, 02, I have you both connected to the main database. Remember that this is a test run. Everything you say will be recorded, and you're encouraged to report back on things you find so that we can get a better feel for the condition of the machine."

"Got it," said Kei, placing his hands on the controls.

"Understood." Mitsuko tapped a button on the side of her helmet, lowering the pilot suit's face shield. She flexed her fingers inside of her gloves, resting them on the controls as the plane hummed beneath her.

"01, you are cleared for launch," said Maemi.

"Roger. Keiran Zala Athha, Seiryu-01, launching."

There was a roar from beside her as Kei pressed down on his controls, his plane shooting off down the runway and pulling up into the sky. He continued on an upward trajectory for a bit before leveling off, the plane's engines rotating as he hovered steadily in the air. "Thrusters look good, maneuvering looks good, energy consumption looks good, stability looks good," said Kei. "All systems still green."

"Copy that," said Maemi, tapping at her keyboard. "02, you are clear for launch."

"Got that," said Mitsuko, pushing down on the controls. "Mitsuko Yamato, Seiryu-02, launching."

She felt the familiar push of G-forces as inertia pressed her back into her seat, felt her stomach drop away beneath her as the plane shot off the earth. Electricity coursed through her blood and she couldn't help but grin, pulling the plane into a tight corkscrew as it shot upward. It leveled off beside Kei's plane and her hands flew over the controls, her heart racing as she settled into a stable hover.

"Stability looks good, maneuvering looks good," she said, exhaling as she grinned at Maemi's image. "Handles like a dream."

"Show-off," Kei teased from her screen's lower right.

"We'll begin the targeting and maneuvering portion of the test," said Maemi, pressing a button. Targets floated up from various locations on the island, hovering at a steady altitude in the sky. They looked like balloons, cords binding them to the earth. "Whenever you're ready, 01, 02." .

Mitsuko studied the placement of the targets, moving her hands to the Seiryu's targeting controls.

"What do you say we make this a little more interesting?" asked Kei from beside her, flying up so that they were hovering exactly side-by-side.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Mitsuko, smiling back at her cousin.

"Loser buys lunch?" asked Kei.

"Oh, you're on," said Mitsuko. She shut off Kei's camera feed to concentrate, her hands dropping to the controls as Kei's Seiryu shot past her, its wing mounted guns rotating. The report of gunfire sounded and the first two balloons popped, their cords falling uselessly to the ground as the 01 banked, heading towards the next set of targets.

Mitsuko put on a sudden burst of speed, her Seiryu's engines letting out a keening whine as her plane passed over Kei's. She turned sharply, banking on a dime, and targeted the next pair of balloons out of the corner of her eye, shooting them both down in passing before Kei could reach them and speeding off towards the next set.

Kei rushed past her and turned suddenly, the rush of air kicked up by his Seiryu's passing buffeting her own plane and knocking it off-course. Mitsuko grit her teeth, fighting to get the plane stable, and shot at the next balloon pair. From this distance, her shot missed, and Kei's bullets tore through them, the 01 continuing along its path.

"Current score: 01-4, 02-2," said Maemi, sounding amused.

"Oh, not for long," said Mitsuko, her eyes narrowing as she stabilized her plane.

She placed both her hands on the thrusters, driving them forward and pointing the Seiryu's nose straight at Kei. His eyes widened in alarm as she shot through the air and he quickly pulled upward, the 01 gaining altitude to give her a wider margin as she flew past beneath him. She fired at the next two targets before he could recover, her shots piercing straight through them. Mitsuko didn't ease up on the controls, moving the Seiryu into an extended corkscrew. She was upside-down as she moved past the next two targets, fingers shifting from the thruster controls to manipulate the targeting reticles on her screen. Her thumbs moved to the trigger beside the controls, pressing down twice. The balloons popped as the 02 flew overhead, completing its corkscrew and flying back in a straight line.

"Are you out of your mind?" Kei asked, drawing up beside her.

"Maybe," said Mitsuko, grinning as she flew past. "It's 4-6, coz."

"No," said Kei, his eyes narrowing as his hands shifted on the controls. "It's not."

The 01 shot past her, taking out the next two targets. Mitsuko's eyes narrowed and she moved, taking out the two after that. They continued this way, neck-in-neck, until they nearly completed their circuit of the island.

Mitsuko glanced at the score Maemi had helpfully put up on her screen, her eyes narrowed as she pulled away from Kei. They were tied, 24-24. There was one last pair of balloons, hanging in the air above Morgenroete. She glanced at the plane's radar, but the 01 was still behind her. If she put on a sudden burst of speed, it wouldn't be able to catch up.

She did just that, fixing the last two balloons in her sights.

The crack of gunfire sounded, her radar warning her about two shots passing underneath her. Mitsuko's eyes widened as they moved beneath the balloons, cutting through the cords that bound them to the ground. Unfettered, the balloons started to rise, the air currents lifting them up into the atmosphere and out of the testing area.

"What now?" asked Kei, smirking as he drew up beside her.

Mitsuko grit her teeth, looking up at the balloons and gauging the distance. Before Kei could stop her, she engaged the thrusters, gaining altitude and shooting up into the air. Kei's eyes widened in alarm.

"Mitsuko!" he said, his camera feed popping up in the corner of her screen.

She shut it off, her eyes narrowing as she leaned forward. Air currents slammed against the Seiryu, and something on her console blinked a warning.

"02, you're leaving the testing area," said Maemi. "Please return to testing altitude."

Mitsuko ignored her, trying to catch the balloons in her sights. The air tugged at them, making them bounce. Her first shots missed completely.

"Mitsuko," said Maemi as she continued to climb. "We haven't tested the planes for altitude yet. Come back down."

There was a hiss of escaping air, the Seiryu's console blinking out a warning. Mitsuko spared a split second to glance at the air and pressure controls on her suit, continuing to climb. The plane shook violently with the air currents as she rose higher, the shaking throwing off her aim. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned forward, catching up to the balloons.

There was a crack from somewhere off to her left, the machine shaking as a chunk of metal siding peeled off the left wing.

" _Mitsuko!"_ Maemi cried.

"Stabilizing flight trajectory," said Mitsuko, hands dancing across the controls. Her eyes darted from left to right as her fingers moved, almost too fast to follow. "Accounting for loss in aerodynamics. Suit life support engaged. Autopilot engaged. Shifting propulsion."

The targeting reticles danced across her screen as she lifted her hands from the controls, leaning forward.

"Manual targeting engaged."

The balloons danced in her field of vision as she placed her hands on the wing-mounted gun's controls, adjusting them. She squeezed the trigger, the sights slightly offline.

Both balloons popped as the wind carried them into the trajectory of the bullets. Maemi exhaled in relief as Mitsuko settled back into her seat, pulling the Seiryu into a gentle dive.

By the time she landed on the runway, Morgenroete's technical crew was assembled, waiting to meet her. The Seiryu's left wing was in bad shape, the metal armor pulled away to reveal the circuitry beneath. She landed gently onto the ground, mentally correcting for the pull of atmosphere as she powered the engine off. The cockpit hatch came open and she shut off her suit's life support features, her helmet coming free with a hiss as she sat up.

Mitsuko pulled the helmet off of her head, shaking her sweat-soaked hair out of her face. She took in a deep breath, climbing down from the cockpit onto the wing and landing neatly on the ground. Maemi came up to meet her with Kei beside her, both of them looking worried. The crowd muttered as she landed on the ground, expressions of disbelief and admiration passing through them. Mitsuko offered her cousin a smile.

"The wings don't seem to stand up to pressure all that well," she said. "Might want to fix that."

Kei's response was to reach out, swatting her on the back of the head with a gloved hand. "You really are insane, aren't you?" he asked.

"Ow," said Mitsuko, covering her head with both hands and ducking down. From underneath her hands, she offered her cousin a sheepish smile.

* * *

 _Martius Technical Institution, Martius Three_

The room was dark, lit only by the glow of the computer screen. The boy shut the door behind him, making sure to lock it. He walked over to the computer, a thin card in his hand. He glanced at the room's only window, but the blinds had been closed and the curtains drawn down, preventing even a sliver of light from slipping out into the street.

He slid the card into its reader, bending down over the keyboard. The boy typed with one hand, leaning over the desk with the other. All of the mockery was gone from his expression now, his gray eyes grave as he studied the screen.

A security prompt came up, asking a voice sample. He spoke slowly, intoning the words carefully.

"Ivanov, Xue," he said. "Requesting access."

The computer's camera came to life, comparing his face with his records. Various windows popped up on the screen, colors changing from red to green. Photos started appearing, pictures of mobile suits and soldiers, of a Eurasian base.

In the background of his screen was a logo, a five-pointed star and beneath it was a single word.

Starlight.


	3. Phase 03: Seeds of Conflict

**Gundam SEED: Knights of Summer**

 **By:**

 **Mystwalker**

 **A/N:** I promise there will be a role for the original Gundam SEED characters to play in this fic, but right now I'm still introducing all the new people. Don't worry, next chapter we should get to see some Kira, among others.

 **Guest,** I'm actually really glad you feel that way about Mitsuko's stunt, since it was meant to establish both her potential (her piloting skills) and her failings (she's a reckless little idiot). So the fact that you felt it was too reckless to admire means that it worked.

 **mushuxlll,** thanks! Glad you liked it!

 **Voltage Axe,** thank you! I'm glad you liked it! Also thank you very much for recommending your story to me, but I have a standing policy about not reading any fics similar in concept to ones I'm actively working on, because I don't want to steal ideas by accident or worry about where ideas come from. I'd be happy to check it out a little later on, though. Thanks again for the review!

A bit of a PSA, this chapter was almost complete but I actually wasn't planning to finish this tonight due to having a very long day. Seeing **Voltage Axe's** review actually gave me the last bit of motivation I needed to get the last five scenes written and this chapter online. I would have finished it tomorrow regardless and I'm not saying I only write for reviews, but never underestimate the power a review has over a writer that's feeling a little down and uninspired and don't forget to review other stories you read too! We all appreciate it and love every review we get!

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam SEED.

* * *

 **Phase 03: Seeds of Conflict**

* * *

 _April 3, 98 CE_

 _Siegel Clyne Memorial Academy, October Five_

The chess piece, real marble, and an ostentation even for its owner, settled into place on the board, pressuring her left flank. Azami straightened up in her lounge seat, her eyes moving over the board. A legion of soldiers in white and black was spread out between her and her opponent, a dark-haired boy with his hanging open over his shoulders. She recognized him as a student in a year above her, a councilman's son.

She reached out, picking up one of the white pawns and moving it forward. Azami pressed it down onto the board with a clack, pulling her hand back to her lap. She folded them neatly, one on top of the other, as she waited for her opponent's move. Around her, students dressed in the same school uniforms that she and her opponent were wearing waited, studying the board.

She sat still as her opponent's hand hovered over each of the pieces, studying his movements and his posture. Her hair was long, brown, and straight, falling down her back. Her eyes were a deep violet. The girl was small and slender, fine-boned, delicate features that reminded anyone who saw her of her mother. She was dressed in a blazer and pleated skirt, the uniform of her Academy. A black Haro rolled around the ground near her foot, occasionally bouncing up and down but mostly respecting the silence.

Her opponent moved his knight, an aggressive move. Azami thought for a moment, then reached out, using her bishop to block him. She caught his frustration in the way his eye twitched as he leaned back, refusing to look at her.

 _He wants to win quickly,_ she thought, giving him a casual glance before turning her attention back to the board. _This game has already gone on too long for him._

His father was a councilman from the Radical faction, a political opponent of her mother. He'd taken the time out of his Sunday to find her and challenge her to a game of chess in a public place, claiming only that he heard she 'liked the game'. She knew he was trying to prove that he was smarter than her, that his family was superior to hers in some way.

She didn't particularly care about proving herself, which gave her an advantage. His hastiness, his aggression, gave her something she could use.

His eyes moved across the board, brow furrowing in concentration. They lingered over the knight again, and the rook in the corner. She thought about the way he had been playing so far, thought about what she knew about him.

 _70% chance that he goes for the rook. 25% chance he continues to press with the knight. Chance that he pulls back…_ She looked back up at him, her expression giving nothing away. _5%._

He reached for the rook, moving it into her space. Azami reached out, moving her queen.

"Check," she said.

Her handheld, lying on the table beside her, buzzed. She ignored it, watching the frustration build up in her opponent as he moved a piece between her queen and his king. His frown deepened, and he moved again, pressuring her right.

Her bishop clicked into place. "Check," she said again.

The boy snarled at her, moving one of his pieces to his king's defense. He was impatient with having to defend himself, she realized. He wanted to attack, to decimate her forces and remind the crowd who was _really_ in charge of this school.

 _Click. Click. Clack._

Their pieces moved across the board, each one advancing on the other. He took two of her pieces. She took one of his. She saw the smirk tugging at his lip as he looked down at the board and realized that end-game was approaching. He moved one of his pieces dangerously close to her king. His expression was confident—she saw his next move as clear as day. It was a position she'd allowed him to put her in, one where he could end the game in two moves.

And where she could end it in one. She reached out, allowing herself a small smile as she moved her bishop again.

"Checkmate," she said.

The hush around the room lifted, her classmates talking excitedly among themselves. Her opponent let out a loud _"What?!"_ leaning down to scan the board. From somewhere near her foot, her black Haro started jumping up and down, repeating her words excitedly.

" _Checkmate! Checkmate!"_

She barely noticed it as she slumped back in her seat, letting out a sigh of relief. Her opponent got up, sweeping the marble pieces back into their case with a fury and taking the board with him as he left the room. One of her friends placed a hand on her shoulder, and Azami opened her eyes to give her a small smile, sitting up.

"So about that movie," the other girl, Camellia said, as if their Sunday morning hadn't just been interrupted by an angry upperclassman with a chessboard.

"The spy thriller?" asked Azami, her smile widening. "I'd love to see it."

"We can catch the matinee if we leave in twenty minutes," said the girl.

"That should be perfect," Azami said, as Black's chirping shifted to an excited _"Movie! Movie!"_

On the table next to her, her handheld buzzed again.

* * *

 _Mediterranean Coast, Eurasian Federation_

The _Seraph_ skimmed over the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, so smoothly that Raleigh could hardly tell that they were moving. He stood outside on the ship's deck, the wind moving through his blond hair. It was warm enough that he wished he could unbutton his uniform jacket, but he decided against it. This was his first posting, and it was to the Earth Alliance's newest ship. He didn't want to ruin it. Instead, he placed his hands on the railing, feeling the salt spray against his face.

"It's nice out here, isn't it?" asked a voice from behind him, making Raleigh's heart jump into his throat. He tensed, spinning around and raising his hand in salute.

"Sir!" he said, embarrassed to be caught slacking.

Lt. Commander James Hedley, captain and commanding officer of the _Seraph_ , watched him with an amused smile. He was dressed in OMNI's white uniform, his hair a wavy dark brown. He looked younger than Raleigh had expected, in his mid or late twenties.

"At ease, Ensign" he said. "You're not on-duty. There's nothing wrong with enjoying a sunny day."

Raleigh hesitated, but relaxed visibly, lowering his hand. "Sir," he said.

"First posting?" asked Hedley, walking up to the railing beside him.

Raleigh exhaled, taking a deep breath as he turned back around to look over the sea. He didn't relax fully, keeping his back straight. "Yes, sir," he said.

"I'm surprised you're not seasick," said Hedley.

"Pilot training sort of cures you of all that," said Raleigh.

"I suppose it does," said Hedley. "I've read your file, Wolf. Top of your class."

Raleigh flushed, embarrassed. "It's not that impressive," he said.

"Don't sell yourself short," said Hedley. "Good pilots are hard to come by."

He didn't say good _Natural_ pilots. That last part was implied. Raleigh glanced down at the water, not sure how that made him feel. He'd worked hard to get this posting, promised to the top graduate of their class, but compared to what he'd seen in the videos leaked of ZAFT drills in Gibraltar, he wasn't even close.

Something of this thoughts must have showed on his face, because the captain clapped him on the back. "Well, we'll get there someday," he said. "What do you think of the ship?"

"She's great, sir," Raleigh said, truthfully. "I've never seen anything like her."

"The true test will be how she handles in space," said Hedley. "You ever been up there?"

"To Copernicus, for space flight training," said Raleigh. "Not for very long, though."

"It'll be an experience," said Hedley, grinning. "You aren't really in the Space Forces until you've spent a week crashing into walls in zero G. After this assignment, you'll probably get your chance."

"Yes, sir," said Raleigh. There wasn't really much else to say there. He looked back out over the ocean, watching a gull skim the surface of the water not far from their ship. It was nice out here. Peaceful.

The peace was disrupted by a shout.

"Captain!" called a voice, making both of them turn around. One of the ship's crew was running up to them, binoculars in hand. He handed them to Hedley. "Straight ahead and three degrees to port."

Hedley frowned, raising the binoculars to his face. He pointed them in the direction the crewman had pointed. Raleigh looked as well, squinting against the sunlight. He saw the horizon and, somewhere in the distance, a flash.

Hedley lowered the binoculars from his face, his expression grim. "Have you had a chance to work with one of the new Gears, Ensign Wolf?" he asked.

"No, sir," Raleigh said.

"You've got your chance. Get suited up and standby." Hedley handed the binoculars to him, turning to address the crewman. "Sound the alarm. Get the crew to the bridge. Battle stations."

"Sir?" Raleigh asked, as the crew sprang into action, klaxons beginning to sound out from around the ship. He quickened his stride along with the captain, hurrying below deck.

"There's combat around the Med Coast," said Hedley, the two of them heading down past an open airlock and into the _Seraph_ 's hallway. "Looks like we've found our rebels."

* * *

 _Eurasian Federation Airspace_

" _How's babysitting?"_

The message appeared near the bottom of her screen, a hint of a smile appearing on her face. She tapped out a response, her stylus flying against the clear sheet of plastic.

" _Not bad. How's staring at the ceiling?"_

" _I do have some kind of life, you know."_

" _Uh-huh. My mistake. So what were you up to today?"_

A long pause, during which the "…" appeared again, holding her attention before vanishing. _"Mostly staring at the ceiling."_

She clamped her lips down on the laugh that threatened to escape, managing to stifle it as she typed out another reply. _"Aww, miss me?"_

" _I don't know. It's finally quiet."_

" _You're just saying that because you're jealous, aren't you? You'll never guess what I was up to yesterday."_

The response, when it came, was lightning quick. _"Oh no. Is Orb still standing?"_

She feigned outrage. _"Just for that,"_ she typed, _"there's a limited edition Akatsuki model kit that's never making it back to the PLANTs."_

The "…" appeared on her screen again. Mitsuko found herself leaning a little closer, waiting for a response.

"Who are you talking to?" asked Kei, from his seat on the plane opposite hers.

Mitsuko looked up sharply, her eyes widening. Kei was staring at her, as was one of the members of his security detail that he'd brought with him. The other glanced over his shoulder, then went back to piloting the plane.

"Uh—no one," she said, just as White took the opportunity to start jumping up and down, chanting _"Renner! Renner!"_

Mitsuko snatched the Haro out of the air, clamping both hands firmly over its speakers. Kei smirked at her as she looked around, trying to find a place to stash the offending Haro.

"Don't look at me like that," she said.

"I wasn't looking at you," said Kei, looking away. He was still smirking. "Is Renner a guy?"

"Just a classmate," said Mitsuko.

"So, why are you getting so defensive over just a classmate?"

"I'm not defensive," said Mitsuko, frowning.

The four of them were seated in a private plane, heading from Orb to the Kingdom of Scandinavia. They'd left early that morning, something that left her fighting a lingering case of jetlag. Coordinators weren't as susceptible to that particular curse as Naturals might have been, but going from space, to Earth, to another time zone on Earth would upset anyone's equilibrium. It was easier in space where location didn't matter, and everything was set to Universal Time.

"Renner Joule," said one of Kei's guards, a woman with short dark hair tapping away at her own handheld. There was a faint smile on her face. "Son of Councilman Yzak Joule. Back in the day, he was assigned to the same ZAFT unit as the admiral."

"Thank you, Natalia," said Kei.

"Hey, don't just creep on my friends!" said Mitsuko.

"We've got trouble, Your Highness," said the pilot from the front before Kei could reply.

Mitsuko sat up, her eyes widening slightly at that. Kei got to his feet and she followed, just a beat behind him. The plane was flying over a stretch of forested land, mountains and a crystalline blue sea off to the distance. She tried to remember her Earth geography and thought that Gibraltar might be somewhere over there.

There were flashes of light in the distance. The pilot, a dark-haired Coordinator named Alan Nakano, had zoomed in on the lights, pulling them up in a corner of the screen. Mitsuko looked and saw mobile suits flying over the ocean, beam weapons tearing through the air.

Kei's expression darkened instantly.

"A battle?" he asked.

"There's been unrest in this region lately," said Alan, flicking a few more switches before placing his hands back on the controls. Mitsuko felt a slight shift in her weight as the plane changed course. "I'm going to try to avoid it. Your Highness, please sit down."

Kei frowned, for a moment looking as though he might refuse. The pilot said nothing, but Mitsuko could feel the tension in the air. Then, Kei exhaled, taking a step back into the cabin.

"Understood," he said. "Mitsuko?"

Mitsuko hesitated, but didn't move. There was a copilot's chair in the cockpit, but it was empty. This was nothing more than a civilian aircraft after all, and it didn't really need more than one person to fly, especially if that one person was a Coordinator. The copilot was only there for redundancy.

Her eyes drifted back to the battle in the distance, her expression darkening. A wave of uneasiness passed over her, and the fingers of her hands slowly curled inward, into small fists.

An actual battle.

"…Mitsuko?" Kei asked again.

The pilot ignored her presence, reaching over and thumbing one of the buttons on the plane's console. "Shutting off connection to the network," he said. "We're running dark."

Mitsuko glanced back at her handheld on the seat, at the message from Renner she still hadn't read. The green light near the top of the machine had gone out, signifying that she had lost connection. She glanced back out the windshield of the plane, at the blasts and explosions in the distance, pinpricks of light.

At length, she reached into a compartment beside the cockpit, pulling out a handgun. Mitsuko checked and loaded it in a few quick and efficient movements, then took the copilot's seat, strapping in.

"Pass me secondary controls," she said. Her voice was soft, not at all like the confident tone she had used in the Seiryu. She wondered what had happened to that confidence, when all she felt suddenly was dread.

But she was trained for this. She couldn't go sit in the cabin. She couldn't.

Alan glanced at her, and she caught an appraising look in the other Coordinator's eye before he nodded, fingers moving over the console. "Understood," he said. "Passing secondary controls to you."

* * *

 _Siegel Clyne Memorial Academy, October Five_

Azami sat on the edge of her bed, her handheld in her hands as she looked down at the screen. She'd changed out of her school uniform and into another skirt and blouse in preparation for heading out with Camellia, but the jacket that went with her top was strewn across her bed, momentarily forgotten. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Black bouncing around the room, but his antics went mostly ignored as she stared at her net group's news feed.

A video hastily taken from an ongoing battle over the Mediterranean played out, the video taker quickly having to run back inside for shelter when a deflected beam missile slammed into the street in front of him. She rewound the video, playing it again. In the minute or so before the video had come to an end, she'd caught sight of mobile suits engaging in combat, of an Earth Alliance aircraft carrier somewhere in the distance. Already, the comments from her group were filtering in below the video.

" _Scary,"_ someone said.

" _Anyone here live around the Med? Stay safe."_

" _I think net is down in that area, unless you're on a military ship."_

" _So anyone here military?"_

" _Idiot, they won't be posting at a time like this."_

She frowned, replaying the video again.

On some levels, small, localized armed conflict like this was expected to happen. The nations of Earth had grown too big during the Bloody Valentine Wars, war uniting people in the same way that it tore them apart. Now that the wars were over and there had been a quarter century of peacetime, it was only expected that groups from those who had once been independent nations would fight to become independent again.

Except…this didn't feel like a rebel conflict. For one, the attack was decimating the Spanish city beneath it, a city that the rebels would, in theory be trying to liberate. It wouldn't be the first time historically that freedom fighters got a little too enthusiastic in their freedom fighting, but the location bothered her. The Mediterranean region was one of the ones that benefited the most from association with the Eurasian Federation. She wouldn't have expected conflict to come from there. Russia maybe, the Middle East, eventually. Not the Med.

She replayed it again, pursing her lips as she studied the video, studied the brief glimpse of the mobile suit's attack patterns. It wasn't enough. She couldn't gain a good enough picture of their intentions from a minute of shaky video. Below it, another comment chain was starting to gain some attention.

" _I'm OMNI, Atlantic Fed. We just got word of this over in Virginia. Top brass doesn't seem very concerned. Official statement incoming."_

Azami frowned, skimming the comments below that one. Mostly people demanding answers to the sort of questions an active duty soldier couldn't be expected to answer. She scrolled back up to the video, playing it again.

* * *

 _Atlantic Federation Panama Base_

The news about the battle played out in the base's mess hall, accompanied by videos of mobile suits fighting each other. One of the aircraft carriers in the video was identified as the Eurasian flagship _Gungnir_ , under the command of the Eurasian Federation's Rear Admiral Virtanen. The _Seraph_ was expected to arrive at the scene soon and intervene in favor of the Eurasian forces. Given the small number of enemy mobile suits, no one expected the battle to last very long.

Ensign Lianne Silver sat at her table and watched the screen, wishing that she had done just a little bit better on her piloting assessment, or that Raleigh had done a little bit worse. Or that they both had. She frowned in uneasiness, taking a sip of her drink as she studied the video.

 _Stay safe, Ral…_ she thought to herself, eyes on the screen.

* * *

Seraph _, Bridge_

Lt. Commander Hedley strapped into his seat, the bridge flaring into activity around him. His screen was filled with images of the fight, of the enemy mobile suits engaging with the Eurasian Federation forces. The enemy seemed to be fighting with a mismatch of older model mobile suits, older Windam's and first generation ZAKUs with a few custom enhancements and custom paint colors. The sort of armaments he would expect a group of rebels to have.

The Eurasian Federation forces were fighting as well, a handful of fighter planes and second generation Windams. The majority of their forces were clustered around the massive aircraft carrier waiting off the Mediterranean Coast. The _Seraph_ 's own piloting team waited in the hangar for the signal to launch.

"Communication request from the _Gungnir_ , Captain," said his communication's officer, a young woman dressed in the white OMNI uniform.

"Lieutenant Acosta ready to launch," another crewman added from his other side.

"Allow communications," he said. "Tell the lieutenant to standby."

"Sir."

His men went to work, hands on their respective controls. A communications screen opened up in front of him, displaying an older man in a white uniform. Hedley raised his hand in salute.

"Lt. Commander James Hedley of the Atlantic Federation's _Seraph_ , sir," he said, by way of introduction.

"Commander Hedley, this is Rear Admiral Virtanen of the Eurasian Federation _Gungnir_ ," said the man. "We're shorthanded today. Can I count on your assistance?"

"My pilots are on standby and ready to launch, sir," said Hedley.

"Thank you," said Virtanen. "Your assistance is appreciated."

"It's what we came to do, sir," said Hedley.

Virtanen nodded. "Come aboard when we finish this battle. _Gungnir_ out."

The screen went blank. Hedley placed both his hands on his arm rests, turning to his men. "Have Acosta and her squad launch," he said. "We'll provide cover fire."

"Targeting enemy mobile suits," said one of the men on his bridge.

"Pilots preparing to launch," said another.

The ship hummed slightly as the hatches opened, mobile suits pouring out into the sky. Hedley settled back into his seat to watch the battle, exhaling slowly as he turned his attention to the screens. The pair of Gears appeared on the radar, surrounded by a small cloud of Windam-II's. He kept his eyes on the dots that represented the Gears, the names of their pilots appearing in small text next to their markers—Lt. Catarina Acosta, Ensign Raleigh Wolf.

 _Now,_ he thought, eyes on the screen. _It's time to see what those things can do._

* * *

 _Mediterranean Coast, Eurasian Federation_

The Gear, a blue and white mobile suit with OMNI's logo painted onto one shoulder, hovered in the air over the Atlantic Ocean. Raleigh's eyes narrowed as a beam shot through the air towards him, fired by one of the enemy mobile suits. His grip tightened on the controls, his mobile suit's shields quickly folding back to cover the cockpit. The beam struck the shield and splintered, deflecting light harmlessly to either side of him. He unfolded the shields long enough to return fire, maneuvering the thrusters so that his suit moved diagonally upwards, out of the enemy's immediate line of site.

The four members of the squad assigned to him fanned out and immediately started zeroing in on the mobile suit that had shot at him, the report of their cannon fire sounding even through the cockpit's protective sound muffling. Their mobile suits were older models, second-generation Windams that, until just recently, would have been considered top of the line for mass produced suits.

His radar chimed a proximity alert as Lt. Acosta flew up behind him, her Gear's rifle balanced against its shoulder. Her face appeared in the corner of his screen, partially obscured by her helmet. She was of Latin American heritage, her dark hair cut short in a bob that framed a nut-brown face.

"How's it feel, Wolf?" she asked, firing at an enemy mobile suit that made a dive for her. It spun out of the way at the last second, her shot splashing into the ocean and kicking up a spray of foam. The mobile suit his squad was targeting raised its shields, blocking the shots before gaining altitude as well. His squad flew in tight formation, pursuing it.

He kept his eye on them while answering the lieutenant. "Feels great, ma'am," he said, his hands still on the controls that maneuvered the thrusters. "Smooth response, really stable. Not too much feedback, but not too little either."

She nodded. "Top of the line," she said. "I have to admit, I'm impressed. Looks like our people up in development might be finally catching up to Morgenroete."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, because it was expected. In truth, he was only half paying attention. His eyes were fixed on the mobile suit his squad was pursuing, the way it ducked and wove out of sight as it darted between bullets. Its movements were fast, its reaction time faster than any old ZAKU had any right to be.

It worried him. It nagged at a memory, one of ZAFT pilots practicing around Gibraltar, playing around on an off day while he watched from a window, waiting for his father to finish his diplomatic visit with the commander there.

"Ma'am," he said, as one of his team's shots went wild and plummeted into the ocean. "These rebels are Naturals, aren't they?"

Lt. Acosta didn't respond, but her silence was answer enough. Raleigh glanced over at her face on his screen and saw that her expression was grave, her eyes fixed on her own controls. Her eyes moved from screen to screen, her hands moving over the console in controlled patterns.

"Stay on your guard, Wolf," was all she said, before lowering her rifle and drawing her unit's beam sabers. The swords flared into life, one in each of her mobile suit's hands. "I'm heading in."

"Lieutenant—," Raleigh began as she sped past him.

He hesitated a brief moment, floating there above the mobile suits and the conflict, before shouldering his mobile suit's rifle and moving to cover her.

* * *

 _Residential Apartment, Martius Three_

From his computer screen, the battle playing out in the Mediterranean didn't seem real, a series of colored dots moving across his screen in patterns that alternated between controlled and chaotic. It reminded him of a demo he had once seen in one of his classes, a video of Brownian motion. He sat on his bed and watched the screen, the TV in his apartment turned to the news channel, and waited for the exact moment that the world would be turned on its axis.

The news continued to play, ongoing coverage of the PLANT Supreme Council in session on Aprillius One, a green-haired reporter speaking on the usual drama between Moderates and Radicals, aired out for the entire world sphere to see. The ticker tape at the bottom of the broadcast talked about some Earth celebrity's decision to make her child a Coordinator.

Twenty years of peace.

He felt an odd mixture of anticipation and unease as he watched the screen, feeling as though he was watching a timer ticking down. The new Earth Alliance ship, the _Seraph,_ had come into play.

 _It's time,_ Xue thought, unconsciously holding his breath.

A cluster of activity flared up on the corner of his screen, a white dot launching into the battle like a comet streaking across the Earth sky. A name popped up beside the dot, identifying the suit for him.

 _Deimos._

* * *

 _Mediterranean Coast, Eurasian Federation_

Raleigh was still in the air when the enemy mobile suit arrived.

It rushed towards them almost too fast to see, a flash of red out of the corner of his vision. Raleigh's mobile suit screamed alarms, the interior of his cockpit flashing red as it registered the newcomer. He heard Lt. Acosta's shout of "Ensign!", heard explosions as the flash tore through the mobile suits nearest him, and some instinct for self-preservation made him act, throwing up his shields just as the newcomer barreled into him with all the force of a train. He flew back, his Gear's thrusters unable to compensate for the enemy mobile suit's thrust, and stared up at his screen, his eyes wide as he saw his opponent for the first time.

It was a sleek black mobile suit, carrying a curved beam weapon that was shaped like a sickle. The weapon glowed a bright red, the source of the red light. Its eyes were red as well, and they seemed to stare at him through his cockpit, glowing.

He had a moment to register terror, his breath catching in his throat as he stared, wide-eyed at the enemy mobile suit. It tilted its head, almost as if it was curious.

Then it pushed off of his Gear's shield, flipping over in the air with alacrity before charging into the _Gungnir's_ mobile suits, beam sickle flashing. The force it exerted when pushing away from him sent him flying back and Raleigh had to fight to regain control of his momentum. He stabilized his suit, his control panel flashing red to show him that the Gear's beam shielding was functioning at 30% efficiency.

The shield that had probably saved his life.

"Ensign Wolf!" shouted Lt. Acosta, flying up to him. "Are you alright?"

Raleigh glanced at her image on his screen and realized he was breathing through his open mouth, his breath coming in shallow pants as his heart hammered in his chest. He forced his hands to ease up their vise grip on the controls, his radar beeping as several suits lost connection almost instantly. The _Gungnir_ and the _Seraph_ both sent up retreat flares, something that Lt. Acosta glanced at with a curse before looking back at him.

"Wolf!" she said. "We're retreating!"

He nodded, managing to turn the Gear around and follow her as she shot off towards the _Seraph_. He still felt cold beneath his blue and silver pilot suit, his grip on the controls tighter than he would have liked. He managed to find his voice halfway back to the ship, what was left of their mobile suits racing to catch up behind them.

"That was—," he began. "That was…"

Lt. Acosta nodded, her expression grim.

"A Gundam."

* * *

Gungnir, _Bridge_

"I want ZAFT on the line!" Rear Admiral Lukas Virtanen shouted to one of his crewmen as the ship sped away from the battle, some of the stragglers from its mobile suit force still landing on top of it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the _Seraph_ 's own smaller fleet returning to its hangar, the warship speeding away as fast as her engines would allow her.

"Now!" he said, looking back at his crew.

"Sir!" one of his communications officers barked. "Sending in a contact request to the PLANT Ambassador."

"Forget the politicians," said Virtanen, forcing himself to settle in his seat. "Send a contact request through Gibraltar. Get me Yamato."

* * *

 _Eurasian Federation Airspace_

They had just flown out of range of the battle and Mitsuko had just started to relax when the blast slammed into the side of the plane, knocking them into a spin and setting off alarm sensors everywhere. Mitsuko heard a scream, realized belatedly that it had been hers. The world became a whirl of light and rotation and she was too busy trying to stabilize the plane to care about feeling embarrassed for it.

Her heart hammered in her chest, her thoughts racing a mile a minute as she and Alan tugged at unresponsive controls, trying to stop the spin and gain altitude again. The sensors screamed a warning about the right engine, but it was only damaged, not downed. A part of her mind registered that the plane could still fly even in atmosphere with one and a half engines.

And then the second blast struck the plane's tail, shoving her forward onto the controls.

The impact knocked her unconscious almost instantly, the blast the last thing she heard before they were falling.

* * *

 **Extra:**

 _ **Deimos –**_ Literally meaning "dread", Deimos was the son of Ares, the God of War in Greek mythology, and the personification of Terror. One of Mars's moons is named after him.


End file.
